Kakao Entertainment & Disney Korea Announce K-Pop IP Projects and K-Culture Fund

Kakao Entertainment and Disney Korea plan around 10 K-pop IP projects – plus a ‘K-culture fund’

September 16, 2026 By Mandy Dalugdug

Kakao Entertainment has entered a strategic partnership with Walt Disney Company Korea ( Disney Korea ).

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The two companies plan around 10 projects pairing K-pop IP with Disney ‘s stories and characters.

They are also discussing further collaboration, including the possible creation of a fund under the tentative name “ K-culture fund .”

The partnership was announced on Wednesday ( September 16 ) through Kakao Entertainment ‘s newsroom.

The projects will run over the mid to long term, according to the South Korea -headquartered company.

Kakao Entertainment said it will combine its IP business across the K-culture ecosystem with Disney ‘s portfolio of story assets.

The work is set to reach across music, content, commerce, and live entertainment, among other areas, Kakao Entertainment said.

“K-pop today has evolved into a global cultural phenomenon shaping trends across areas including fashion, beauty, and lifestyle,” Kakao Entertainment said. “Through this partnership, we look forward to bringing K-pop artists and music together with Disney’s stories – which have been loved around the world for generations – and expanding them into new worlds.

“We expect this to offer global fans a special kind of joy and inspiration that they have never experienced before.”

Kakao Entertainment did not disclose the size of the proposed fund, the projects it would back, or when it might be established.

The announcement carried no statement from a named executive at either Kakao Entertainment or Disney .

Kakao Entertainment is the entertainment arm of South Korean internet company Kakao Corp. , and its music labels include Starship Entertainment , EDAM Entertainment , and Antenna .

It also owns music streaming service Melon , webtoon and web novel platform KakaoPage , and fandom platform Berriz , which launched in March 2025 as a rival to HYBE ‘s Weverse .

Together with Kakao Corp. , the company holds a 40.28% stake in SM Entertainment , the K-pop firm behind aespa , NCT 127 , and Riize .

Kakao won control of SM Entertainment in 2023 after a months-long corporate battle with HYBE .

Neither SM Entertainment nor any individual artist is named in the Disney announcement.

Kakao Entertainment restructured its leadership in March , appointing JungHee Ko as co-CEO alongside Joseph Chang .

Ko oversees platform services as Chief Platform Officer, while Chang leads a Global Growth Center created to widen the company’s international reach.

At the time, Ko and Chang said combining the company’s IP business with its platform capabilities would expand “the global fandom ecosystem of K-culture.”

The Disney Korea deal follows a run of overseas partnerships.

Kakao Entertainment developed the Global-K Chart with China’s Tencent Music Entertainment and Japan’s Line Music , and Melon launched it on June 1.

That ranking pools K-pop streaming and engagement data from Melon in South Korea, Tencent Music ‘s platforms in China and Southeast Asia, and Line Music in Japan.

SM Entertainment set out its own “NEXT 3.0” strategy in January , saying it was building local partnerships in China and Thailand, and was in talks with potential partners in Japan.

SM Co-CEO Daniel Jang said at the time that the company was treating merchandise as “a medium through which fans can experience an artist’s universe.” Music Business Worldwide

News South Korea Disney Korea Kakao Entertainment SM Entertainment Walt Disney Company Korea

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_Originally reported by [Music Business Worldwide](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/kakao-entertainment-partners-with-disney-korea-on-some-10-k-pop-ip-projects-with-a-k-culture-fund-in-discussion/)._